Watch 1st ‘Star Wars: Hunters’ gameplay trailer ahead of June 4 launch (video)

We can’t wait for Star Wars Outlaws, the first true open-world Star Wars video game, to arrive on PC and consoles later this year, but meanwhile, Lucasfilm Games and Zynga are finally allowing fans with a Nintendo Switch or a mobile phone (Android and iOS) into Star Wars: Hunters on June 4, the same day The Acolyte premieres on Disney Plus.

The long-tested game is an accessible third-person, player-versus-player online game in the vein of Overwatch and other modern hero shooters. Fans have known for a while (Zynga has delayed Hunters’ full launch time and again) that it all takes place on the planet of Vespaara, where sports-like battles happen in an ever-changing arena which evokes iconic Star Wars worlds and locations with a twist. On top of raw fighting skills and strong teamwork, players must find the right team configuration and tactics to fight other competitors and rise to victory.

Ahead of next week’s launch, Lucasfilm Games and Zynga have now released a ‘launch gameplay trailer’ that, while short, effectively highlights many of the colorful characters in the game, some of the customization options available, and the game modes players can expect to play when the 1.0 release opens the floodgates.

Related: Star Wars: Hunters launches in June for Nintendo Switch and mobile (video)

The game’s focus is on 4v4 battles and fighters with strong visual styles and marked personalities that translate to sets of skills and abilities that fit very distinct playstyles.

While you won’t be meeting (for now) Star Wars legends in this one, each character has a bit of history and packs some cool nods to the larger universe. The game modes which have been presented so far are Squad Brawl (an all-out team deathmatch), Trophy Chase (a capture-the-flag of sorts with the droid TR0-F33), and Power Control (areas must be captured and held for as long as possible).

“Star Wars: Hunters” was first announced in early 2021 with a teaser trailer that promised a full launch later that year. However, several closed beta tests and region-based limited access had to happen before Disney and Zynga felt 100% ready to move forward.

All the tinkering hasn’t changed that “Star Wars: Hunters” is still set to launch as a free-to-play title that will make its money from cosmetic microtransactions and extra progress tracks separate from the free playable content that will continue to arrive through regular updates.

On top of “Star Wars: Hunters,” another free drop of Force-powered gaming was released earlier this month, when Disney and Epic Games teamed up once again for a huge Star Wars event in Fortnite, with many of the new content additions confirmed to be staying permanently in the Lego Fortnite subgame. If you’re in the mood for more digital trips to the galaxy far, far away, be sure to check out our list of the best Star Wars games of all time, which has suggestions for every type of gamer, Jedi or not.